The decade-long study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, found a 10 to 15 per cent boost in longevity for coffee drinkers, compared to abstainers. It’s the first large study to suggest a benefit even in people with genetic glitches affecting how their bodies process caffeine.

Over the next decade, 14,225 participants died, mostly from cancer or heart disease.

While caffeine has been shown to cause short-term increases in blood pressure, especially in people with genetic variation, there was no increase in the risk of dying from heart disease and other blood pressure-related causes for the study’s coffee drinkers when compared to the non-drinkers.

While it’s not clear exactly how drinking coffee affects longevity, the study’s lead author and researcher at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, Erikka Loftfield, said it might be a result of the thousands of chemical compounds including antioxidants that are found in coffee, which help protect cells from damage.

Previous studies have shown that substances in coffee may reduce inflammation and improve insulin levels, which can reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

Loftfield clarified further research is being done to explain the longevity benefit of our favourite drink.